Drobo Roboticsl User manual

User Guide
www.datarobotics.com

EN
Please check the following website for the most up to date
Drobo User Guide.
www.drobo.com/support
DE
Bitte sehen Sie auf der unten aufgeführte webseite nach für
die Drobo Gebrauchsanweisung in Ihrer Sprache.
www.drobo.com/support/intl
ES
Por favor consulte el siguiente sitio de web para localizar el
Drobo guia de usuario en su idioma.
www.drobo.com/support/intl
FR
Veuillez voir le site Web ci-dessous pour le manuel d’utilisateur
de Drobo dans votre langue.
www.drobo.com/support/intl
IT
Si prega di consultare il sito web sotto per la Drobo Guida
utente nella vostre lingua.
www.drobo.com/support/intl
日本語
次のウェブサイトで、Drobo ユーザーガイドの最新更新
最新更新日付をチェックしてください。
www.drobo.com/support/intl

I. Introduction........................................................................................1
II. Getting started ...................................................................................3
Three easy steps ........................................................................................ 3
Selecting hard drives.................................................................................. 3
Choosing capacity ................................................................................... 4
A note about drive capacity .................................................................... 4
Keeping your product up-to-date .............................................................. 4
Best Practices............................................................................................. 4
III. Drobo Dashboard Overview ...............................................................5
Drobo Dashboard basics ............................................................................ 5
The main page......................................................................................... 5
Advanced Controls: Data tab .................................................................. 6
Advanced Controls: Tools tab ................................................................. 6
Additional features ................................................................................. 6
Keeping Drobo Dashboard up-to-date.................................................... 7
IV. Drobo Setup........................................................................................8
Inserting drives into Drobo ........................................................................ 8
Connect Drobo to your computer.............................................................. 8
USB 2.0.................................................................................................. 10
FireWire 800 (2nd Generation Drobo and Drobo S)............................... 10
eSATA (Drobo S) .................................................................................... 10
Connect power......................................................................................... 10
Connect your 1st and 2nd Generation (only) Drobo to a network using
DroboShare .............................................................................................. 11
Initialize your Drobo ................................................................................ 11
Picking a file system and volume size ................................................... 11
Formatting for PC using Drobo Dashboard ........................................... 12
Formatting for Mac using Drobo Dashboard ........................................ 14
Formatting with DroboShare using Drobo Dashboard ......................... 15
Drobo Lights............................................................................................. 15
Using Drobo Dashboard with your Drobo................................................ 16
Advanced Controls: Data tab ................................................................ 17
Advanced Controls: Tools tab ............................................................... 17

What to do when not using your Drobo .................................................. 19
V. DroboShare.......................................................................................21
Connect 1st or 2nd Generation (only) Drobo to DroboShare .................... 21
Formatting with DroboShare using Drobo Dashboard ............................ 21
DroboShare Lights.................................................................................... 23
DroboShare settings ................................................................................ 24
VI. Sharing Drobo between computers .................................................25
Using DroboShare to connect your Drobo to a network (1st/2nd
Generation Drobo only) ........................................................................ 25
Move Drobo between computers......................................................... 25
Using your computer ............................................................................ 25
VII. Tips and Troubleshooting.................................................................26
VIII.Index .................................................................................................35

1
Thank you for giving another Drobo® storage device a good home! We
at Data Robotics, Inc.™have been working since 2004 to make
protecting, storing and managing your digital content truly effortless.
The Drobo family of products provides effortless, safe and expandable
storage. There are many different ways to store and protect digital
content, but Drobo is the only fully automatic storage device that
performs many data management tasks without user effort. Here’s
what you can expect:
Drobo automatically configures itself for data protection so you
don’t have to.
When a drive fails, your data is still safe (and all drives do
eventually fail).
Drobo senses any corrupted data and ensures that you only
access non-corrupt data.
No downtime to add capacity. Just add a drive to an empty Data
Bay, or replace a smaller drive with a larger one regardless of
capacity, speed, or manufacturer.
After a drive is installed into an empty bay, the new drive
capacity is immediately available and protected.
Drobo can act as one large drive, making it easier to find what
you’ve stored on it.
Drobo’s Data Bay indicator lights tell you everything you need to
know!
Upgrading capacity is as simple as adding ink to a printer.
Mix ’n match any 3.5” (SATA) hard drives; no worrying about
matching make, model or capacity of Drobo’s existing drives.
Upgrade forever—just replace Drobo’s smallest drive with a
larger capacity drive. No data migration or reconfiguration is
required.
What does it mean to go BeyondRAID? Going beyond traditional RAID
means leaving choices between striping and mirroring, limitations on

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expandability, drive sizing, and drive ordering behind. BeyondRAID™
technology is the next generation of storage that brings together safety,
reliability, expandability, efficiency and of course ease-of-use.
BeyondRAID can be adopted without any change in infrastructure,
allowing you to maintain your current file system and operating system–
eliminating the friction costs typically associated with moving to a new
technology platform.
Standard RAID levels are full of compromises. Do you want striping or
mirroring? A two-disk or four-disk RAID set? BeyondRAID is able to solve
these issues because it is built on an advanced virtualization platform. If
you already understand how RAID 0, 1, 5 or 6 operate(s), you
understand the fundamentals of BeyondRAID since BeyondRAID relies
on the same underlying algorithms.
Welcome to the world’s best storage experience.
Data Robotics, Inc. was formed in 2004 in California’s Silicon Valley with
a vision to take the pain out of storage management. Data Robotics, Inc.
developed the technology inside Drobo for people who “have to”
protect their valuable digital assets, but “hate to” – because it’s
complex and time consuming. For those people, we created Drobo, the
world’s first storage robot. It is a fully automated data storage system
that provides the only truly effortless, safe and expandable storage
solution. Unlike outdated technologies that emerged twenty plus years
ago and the frustrating products on the market today, Drobo is an
industry-changing product line that combines the advanced concepts of
storage virtualization and cybernetics, to take the pain out of storage
management.

3
Before you set up your Drobo, you should determine if you will need to
share your Drobo with additional computers. If so, see “Sharing Drobo
between computers” on page 25 for further information.
To set your Drobo up, you will need to do the following:
1. Install Drobo Dashboard –After installation, launch Drobo
Dashboard and leave it running while you complete the setup.
2. Insert drives –Use any 3.5” SATA drives. Start with at least two
drives to protect your valuable data. (All data on the drives will
be erased.)
3. Connect cables –Connect the Drobo to your computer or
DroboShare (1st/2nd Generation Drobo only) and then connect
power.
Drobo Dashboard will automatically discover your Drobo. Once it does,
follow Drobo Dashboard’s onscreen instructions. You are well on your
way to protecting your valuable data.
For more details on any of these steps, please continue to read through
this section of the User Guide and then refer to the appropriate section
for your specific product.
Drobo is unlike typical storage devices. Drobo makes it extremely easy
to increase storage capacity in the future just by inserting additional
drives or replacing existing drives with larger ones. This means you can
buy the storage you need today and then easily expand later. You can
save hundreds of dollars over time.
Drobo doesn’t care what manufacturer, capacity or speed of hard drive
you install. It accepts standard 3.5 inch internal SATA1 or SATA2 (also
referred to as SATA/150 or SATA/300) hard drives. SSD and older IDE or
ATA-type drives will not work.
Warning! Please note that when adding hard drives to Drobo, any pre-existing
data on those drives will be erased.

4
The number and capacity of drives determine how much usable
protected storage Drobo provides. Take the guesswork out by using our
Capacity Calculator at www.drobo.com/drobolator, a web-based tool
which determines the usable protected capacity, based on any
combination of drives. To calculate the approximate capacity yourself,
omit the largest drive and then add-up the capacity of the remaining
drives. For example (largest drives are crossed out):
# of Drives
Drive Capacities
Usable Protected Capacity
3
250GB + 250BG + 250GB
=
500GB
4
250GB + 250BG + 250GB + 500GB
=
750GB
4
750GB + 250BG + 250GB + 500GB
=
1000GB
Some years ago, computer manufacturers and hard drive manufacturers
started using different systems for measuring capacity. The net result is
that not all of a drive’s rated capacity is available to your computer. For
example, a 750GB drive will have approximately 700GB worth of
capacity. This discrepancy has nothing to do with Drobo.
During your initial setup, Drobo Dashboard asks you if you want to
check for updates automatically. We highly recommend you select the
“Yes” option to assure optimal performance of your Drobo. This feature
enables you to keep both Drobo Dashboard and your product’s
firmware current. Subsequently, you will receive a notice when a newer
version is available. You can check for the most current versions at
www.drobo.com/support/updates.
There are a number of things you can do to protect your valuable data.
Using a Drobo storage product is obviously a major step. However,
there are additional actions you can take to provide even greater safety
for your data. To learn more about this important topic, please visit our
Best Practices site at www.drobo.com/support/best_practices.

5
Drobo Dashboard is used to set up, configure, and interact with your
Drobo or DroboShare. You will find further detail on each one in the
section specific to that product.
Drobo Dashboard is the recommended companion application that
keeps you informed of Drobo’s status and allows you to customize
Drobo to best fit your storage needs.
Note: To install Drobo Dashboard, you will need to have administrative rights
on your computer.
Open Drobo Dashboard and you will see the main page. This page gives
you a quick overview of your Drobo’s status and storage usage. If you
have more than one Drobo, you can switch between Drobos by clicking
on the appropriate tab at the top of the window.
The pie chart shows you how much storage space is being used and how
much free space remains. By placing your mouse over the pie chart, you
will see a summary of the health of your Drobo.
Are you curious about how your disks are being used? Click “How is my
storage being used?” The capacity breakdown bar will appear showing
you how Drobo is using storage.

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Available for data: Total protected space on Drobo that is
available to store data
Reserved for expansion: Unusable capacity reserved for future
use when one hard drive is larger than the others. This space
will become available when you add a larger capacity hard drive
or replace a smaller drive with a larger one.
Used for protection: Storage capacity that is used to protect
your data against drive failure
Overhead: Capacity used by Drobo for management
You can explore different hard drive combinations using the Capacity
Calculator web tool at www.drobo.com/drobolator.
The Data tab in Advanced Controls gives you in-depth details on the
status of your Drobo. You should go to this screen if Drobo is in the
process of protecting your data and you would like to know when it will
finish. The progress is shown in the “Data Protection” section. See page
17 for further details.
The Tools tab gives you access to controls that allow you to customize
your Drobo. In this window you can reset your Drobo, reformat the
volumes, or change settings specific to DroboShare and Drobo.
Additionally, this page displays useful information about your Drobo and
provides an easy way to check for updates of Drobo Dashboard and
your unit’s firmware. See page 17 (Drobo) or page 24 (DroboShare) for
further details.
Drobo Dashboard provides the following additional functionality to your
Drobo, enabling you to make custom backups and receive email
notifications.
DroboCopy provides an easy way to back up files to your Drobo. Select
the folder you want to back up, the location you want to back it up to,
the time you want it to run, and you are all set. Your selected backup
folder and all the items within it will be copied the first time DroboCopy
runs. Subsequently, only new and updated files will be copied to the
destination folder. (Updated files will replace older files.)

7
To start using DroboCopy on a PC, launch Drobo Dashboard and right-
click the Drobo Dashboard icon (pie chart) in the System Tray
(Notification Area) and select “DroboCopy Settings…” On a Mac, launch
Drobo Dashboard and go to the Drobo Dashboard menu and select
“DroboCopy Settings…” In the DroboCopy window click “New
DroboCopy” and pick the folders you would like to use for your
DroboCopy.
Note: Drobo Dashboard must be running for the scheduled backups to work.
Drobo Dashboard will display specific Drobo alerts locally on your
computer. For individual Drobo alert settings, the desired alert level can
be set in Drobo Dashboard within the Advanced Controls -> Tools tab.
Drobo Dashboard can also send email alerts based on a selected alert
level for all Drobo devices attached to your computer (including any
DroboShares on your network). To access this option on a PC, launch
Drobo Dashboard and right-click the Drobo Dashboard icon in the
System Tray and select “Email Settings…” On a Mac, launch Drobo
Dashboard and go to the Drobo Dashboard menu and select “Email
Settings…”
Note: Drobo Dashboard must be running for alerts to work.
Drobo Dashboard is included on the Drobo Resource CD that comes
with your product. After it is installed, you will be notified when a new
version is available (unless you uncheck “Check for updates
automatically”). Go to www.drobo.com/support/updates for more
information.

8
Once you’ve chosen the number and capacities of drives to install, all
you have to do is remove your Drobo’s face plate by simply pulling it off
and then slide the drives into the Data Bays. It doesn’t matter which
drive goes into which Data Bay. You should note that any pre-existing
data on the drives will be erased. Be sure not to touch any exposed
hard drive circuit boards after unpacking.
First orient the drive connectors so that they are pointed towards the
Drobo and are at the bottom of the drive (as shown). Open the Drive
Lock by pressing it towards the left and slide the drive into the Data Bay
until you feel the connector “mate” at the rear of Drobo. If the
connectors seat properly, the Drive Lock will snap behind the drive,
securing it into place.
Tip: Insert the drive with top silver plate facing up (circuit board down).
There are several ways to connect Drobo to your computer. You should
select the fastest connection you have available. Please note that only
one connection type can be used at any given time. The connections
are:

9
Connection
Type
Drobo S
2nd Generation
Drobo
1st Generation
Drobo
USB 2.0
X
X
X
FireWire 800
X
X
eSATA
X
Note: eSATA is faster than FireWire 800, which is faster than USB 2.0.
Note: Firewire 800 is on the 2nd Generation Drobo only.

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Drobo gives you the option to use USB 2.0 to connect to your computer.
While not as fast as FireWire 800 or eSATA, it is found on every
computer made in the past few years.
FireWire 800 will give you excellent performance with your Drobo. If
your computer does not have a FireWire 800 port, then please contact
your computer manufacturer for a compatible add-on card. (Make sure
that you select a card that fully supports your computer and operating
system since not all FireWire cards provide optimal performance.) If
your computer only has a FireWire 400 connector then you will need to
purchase a FireWire 800 to FireWire 400 cable.
Note: Windows based computers will not get optimal performance with the
standard Microsoft FireWire drivers. Visit our support knowledgebase at
www.drobo.com/support for details on how to optimize performance with
FireWire on Windows (search keywords “FireWire performance”).
With Drobo S, you can transfer your data at even faster speeds. eSATA is
nearly twice as fast as FireWire 800. You will need an eSATA interface
on your computer in order to take advantage of eSATA technology. If
you do not have such an interface on your computer, you can purchase
an add-on card and install it on your computer. Consult the
documentation for your computer and www.drobo.com to find a
compatible eSATA card.
Note: We recommend that you connect and power on your Drobo S before you
start your computer as some eSATA cards do not handle hot plugging of eSATA
drives well.
Once you have connected Drobo to your computer, the next step is to
connect it to an AC power source. Simply connect the power cord to the
back of the Drobo and to your power source. If you are setting up a
Drobo S, there is a toggle power switch on the back of the unit. You will
need to toggle this switch to turn your Drobo on.
Note: As with all electronic equipment, we recommend connecting your Drobo
to a surge protector or uninterruptible power supply (UPS), designed for
electronics.

11
If you are going use your Drobo on a network, you will need to use the
companion product, DroboShare. Your Drobo connects to DroboShare,
which connects to the network. Please see page 20 for further detail on
setting up this connection. Return to this point to complete your Drobo
setup.
Note: Drobo S will NOT work with DroboShare.
Just as with any hard drive, you must format Drobo for use with your
computer’s operating system. Use the formatting tools provided in
Drobo Dashboard, which is included on the Drobo Resource CD. You can
also download Drobo Dashboard by visiting
www.drobo.com/support/updates.
Insert the Drobo Resource CD that came with your Drobo into your
computer. From the on-screen menu, select “Install”. After Drobo
Dashboard is installed, it will start automatically.
Depending on your computer’s operating system, you have several
choices for the file system format and size of the volume on your Drobo.
You should pick the combination that works best for your expected
usage of Drobo. For most customers, we recommend choosing the
largest volume size available for the selected file system. The size of the
volume you select is independent of the amount of actual storage in
your Drobo because of Drobo’s advanced storage virtualization.
If the amount of available protected storage in Drobo ever exceeds the
size of the volume that you picked (this may occur when you add one or
more additional hard disks to Drobo), then Drobo will automatically
create a new volume (or volumes) of the same size as the original
volume. Drobo Dashboard will notify you when this occurs and ask you
to format and name the new volume(s).